CHESHIRE Police is now searching for people who may fit the bill for a career in the police service as the force looks for new blood.

With Winsford lined up to be the site for the new Cheshire Police County Headquarters there is a new drive to attract more officers - with a total of 147 new recruits needed by 2003.

But what does a career with the police have to offer and what are the best aspects of the job?

Police Constable Michael Jepson is an experienced officer with the Congleton and Vale Royal division and has served in Winsford and Northwich for 20 years.

He believes that a career with the police service is an excellent choice, with much more excitement than the average job.

He said: "One of the things I found particularly attractive about the job is that it is so varied, you know that you will be doing something different every day and no two days will ever be the same."

PC Jepson said that there are many qualities which a good police officer needs listing adaptability, patience, common sense and the ability to tackle awkward situations as some of the most important.

But he said that the ongoing fight against drugs is one of the biggest challenges to the modern police officer.

He said: "I have had 20 years in the force and when I started it was quite rare, but over the years it has become more and more of a problem and I attribute a lot of crime to drugs."

Training for the job is quite informal and is a far cry from the military style training of yesteryear according to PC Jepson.

He said that new officers have to spend the first two years of the job in uniform but afterwards there are a variety of options available.

He said: "There are all sorts of opportunities open to officers and after the initial two years the world is your oyster."

He explained that there are various roles in different departments, as well as numerous desk jobs which are all essential for the running of the force.

While there are disadvantages to the job these can be seen as challenges to the more determined officer.

PC Jepson highlights dealing with unpleasant people as being one of the worst parts of the job along with antisocial shifts.

He also said that it takes a special kind of person to deliver the news of the death of a loved one, or having the bravery to tackle an angry crowd in street disturbances.

However, officers are now trained to handle violent situations with self defence, CS gas and batons.

He said: "These things are all there for the protection of the officers, because before the advent of such training, police officers were getting quite badly hurt."

The use of technology is becoming more and more important, with more sophisticated hardware, software and forensic science being vital tools in the fight against crime.

The push for more police in Cheshire comes at the same time as the first ever national police advertising campaign, which aims to increase the number of police officers by 9,000 over three years.

Ian Holding, Deputy Chief Constable with Cheshire Police, said: "In August the Home Office announced that it would provide additional funding for extra police officers.

"We welcome this additional funding and as a result we will be looking to increase the number of people applying to join Cheshire Constabulary."

Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.